Women's soccer dominant in conference opener

Thursday night at the Hofstra Soccer Stadium, the Hofstra Pride women’s soccer team won their first ever meeting with the Hampton University Pirates by a score of 8-0 to begin their Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) title defense. The Pride moved to 6-3-1 on the season, as well as 1-0 in conference play. 

It was an all-around effort from the Pride, as 26 different players made appearances in the game, with six of them scoring goals. 

“It was a good game from us, a good performance,” said Hofstra head coach Simon Riddiough. “We were professional in the way we approached the game.” 

After closing out non-conference play with a 2-1 loss to Columbia, Hofstra needed to kickstart their offensive attack, and they were able to do just that against Hampton. Freshman Dagny Run Petursdottir scored her first career goal in just the third minute of play, and the Pride never looked back from there. 

Ellen Halseth was the focal point of Hofstra’s offensive attack tonight, tallying three goals and an assist in just 33 minutes of play. Her first goal came in the ninth minute, as she dribbled around the Hampton keeper and calmly slotted the ball home on an open net. 

She then played a cross to Thorhildur Thorhallsdottir, who was waiting at the back post to finish for her fourth goal of the season. Halseth finished her night by scoring twice in less than 30 seconds, with both goals courtesy of assists from Wiktoria Fronc. 

“She was sharp. When she plays well, she’s almost unstoppable,” Riddiough said of Halseth’s performance. Halseth now holds sole possession of the team lead in goals.

Hofstra’s relentless press was a focal point of their game plan Thursday night, as the Pride did not allow a single shot on goal. Hofstra was able to maintain 64% possession, with a majority of the game being played in the Pirates’ half.

A red card against the Pirates opened things up even more for the Pride, as Hampton was down to ten players for over 60 minutes. Anja Suttner was the next one to add her name to the score sheet, as she buried a 32nd minute penalty kick in the bottom left corner for her second goal of the year. 

The Pride entered the locker room up by a score of 6-0, good for their largest halftime lead of the season.

Due to the enormous halftime cushion, Hofstra was able to get some new faces involved in the second half. Leah Iglesias and Matilda Liljefors were both able to score their first career goals, bringing the lead to 8-0. The game also saw Hofstra utilize three different goalkeepers, with Mackenzie Sullivan and Avery Holden coming on in relief of Skylar Kuzmich.

Hofstra has now won six straight conference openers and holds an impressive record of 18-3 in such games. The Pride will continue conference play on Sunday, Sept. 25, when they take on the College of William & Mary Griffins at the Hofstra Soccer Stadium.

Photo courtesy of Neil Miller/Hofstra Athletics